Toshiba 3950 DVD, lots of interest on AA
00p225
Posts: 100
If you check out Digital Drive http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/bbs.html on Audio Asylum you'll find alot of activity concerning the Toshiba SD-3950 and 3960. There's also tons of posts on power supply mods as wells as mods bypassing the output op-amp. I though I'd give one a try for $79 to see what the hype was about as I hate my Panasonic RV26 for redbook play back.
The toshiba uses the 24bit Burr Brown decoder chips. What I found is for the price it's actually very nice for redbook cd's especially in a vintage system. The bass is tight, the midrange is very clear, but a bit forward, and the highs are right up there with some + $500 dedicated cd players Iv'e auditioned. There is a track on Chris Isaac's For ever blue cd that the s's sound really hissy and the toshiba gets rid of that. Also, I noticed when brushes strike the hi hat cymbals, you hear more detail of the brush itself. On all my cd players this sounds blurred compared to the toshiba. Must be less jitter. The main thing this does well is dynamics and detail. I heard alot more background noise's like chairs creaking, people coughing etc during live performances.
For dvd use the sound quality is also good, but the picture quality is a bit less than my panasonic. I noticed some "stair stepping" of angled lines like stairway railings etc. All in all, a nice deal for someone who wants just one player in their home theatre.
Target has these as well as best buy and Sears. If you need one, give it a try, you can allways take it back if you don't like it....
The toshiba uses the 24bit Burr Brown decoder chips. What I found is for the price it's actually very nice for redbook cd's especially in a vintage system. The bass is tight, the midrange is very clear, but a bit forward, and the highs are right up there with some + $500 dedicated cd players Iv'e auditioned. There is a track on Chris Isaac's For ever blue cd that the s's sound really hissy and the toshiba gets rid of that. Also, I noticed when brushes strike the hi hat cymbals, you hear more detail of the brush itself. On all my cd players this sounds blurred compared to the toshiba. Must be less jitter. The main thing this does well is dynamics and detail. I heard alot more background noise's like chairs creaking, people coughing etc during live performances.
For dvd use the sound quality is also good, but the picture quality is a bit less than my panasonic. I noticed some "stair stepping" of angled lines like stairway railings etc. All in all, a nice deal for someone who wants just one player in their home theatre.
Target has these as well as best buy and Sears. If you need one, give it a try, you can allways take it back if you don't like it....
Main System
Pre - Homebrew 12au7 tube preamp
Amp - Eico HF-87 with EHEL34's
Source - Modded Toshiba 3950
Interconnects - DIY Belden
Speakers - Polk SDA-1C
Basement System
Pre - McIntosh C-28
Amp - McIntosh MC2100
Source - Modded Toshiba 3960
Tape - Pioneer RT-707
Turntable - Thorens TD150MKII with Denon DL-160
Speakers - Pioneer HPM-100
Pre - Homebrew 12au7 tube preamp
Amp - Eico HF-87 with EHEL34's
Source - Modded Toshiba 3950
Interconnects - DIY Belden
Speakers - Polk SDA-1C
Basement System
Pre - McIntosh C-28
Amp - McIntosh MC2100
Source - Modded Toshiba 3960
Tape - Pioneer RT-707
Turntable - Thorens TD150MKII with Denon DL-160
Speakers - Pioneer HPM-100
Post edited by 00p225 on
Comments
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Thanks for the info. I've been looking for a cheap 'musical' DVD player to play redbook for my parents and the Toshiba looks like the one.
Maurice
